Raising the bar
Say the phrase “bar food” too fast and you’ll utter the distasteful opinion many people have about the food served in bars. You know – microwaved TV dinners and deep-fried mysteries that satisfy little more than the state Liquor Control Board’s rules requiring establishments that serve hard liquor to also serve food that can be eaten with knives and forks.
Now say “bar food” slowly as you survey menus at Crown Bar, Jake’s Bar and Bistro, Tempest Lounge and Top of Tacoma, four South Sound bars that raise the bar on bar food.
You’ve got to be at least 21 years old to dine at Crown Bar and Tempest Lounge. Diners who can’t legally order a microbrew off Jake’s incredible beer menu can still dine in the restaurant, and those too young to belly up to Top of Tacoma can dine at the bar’s adjacent café.
CROWN BAR
2705 Sixth Ave., Tacoma
253-272-4177
www.crownbartacoma.com
Hours: 5 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Sundays.
The owners of nearby Primo Grill, chef Charlie McManus and his wife, Jacqueline Plattner, have created the crowning jewel of Sixth Avenue’s burgeoning restaurant scene. Crown Bar is a first-rate neighborhood bar – not the place where you do shots of Jagermeister, but the kind of place where you meet friends for unassuming meals, well-crafted cocktails and a comfortable atmosphere in which to enjoy them.
The food – from incredible buttermilk fried chicken to crunchy falafel to brilliant fried oysters to creamy coconut rice pudding – shines on its own, with or without the bar and the rich, wood walls and stone fireplace that give Crown Bar a grown-up aura.
Crown Bar’s menu falls into light meals and comfort food.
Kebabs ($8-$9) hold the middle ground between finger foods and small entrees. Tender beef kebabs carried the herby-garlicky allure of North Africa, while the cool, creamy bite of yogurt and cucumber pegged chicken tikka kebabs on the subcontinent of India. Falafel sandwich ($8) was filled with extra-crunchy nuggets of chickpea dough in a tender pita.
Fried oysters ($12) were some of the best breaded bivalves I’ve had: Ensconsed in fine crumb coating, the oysters were plump and juicy, full of briny flavor. I was torn: Enjoy the oysters on their own or goose them with garlic-kissed tartar? I tried them both ways. Both were delicious.
Entrees are home cooking, in style and sourcing. Buttermilk fried chicken ($18) is made from organic birds. While I had to remind myself that organic birds are smaller than their hormone-fed counterparts, it was obvious that the flavor of these organic birds is bigger than anything that Tyson grows. It was also tender, crunchy and beautifully juicy, served with garlic mashed potatoes and braised greens. Mac and cheese ($12) was another local-flavor favorite, with the sharp bite coming from Cougar Gold.
The grass-fed burger ($13) was a mouthful of clean, beefy flavor – but only when I ordered it medium-rare or below, as grass-fed beef dries out the longer it’s cooked.
Desserts include French-style chocolate pudding, zingy lemon tart and creamy and toothsome coconut rice pudding.
Service was friendly and efficient. The food could come out of the kitchen faster, but as a friend of mine was told when he asked what was holding up his meal: “Cooking,” the server said. Ain’t that a refreshing change?
Rating: * * * * *
JAKE’S BAR AND BISTRO
215 Wilkes St., Steilacoom
253-581-3300
www.jakesbarandbistro.com
Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays.
There’s also a lot cooking at Jake’s Bar and Bistro, which grew out of owner Jake Hathcock’s tiny beverage emporium, Steilacoom Wine and Brew, in December. Jake’s would draw raves from me for its smartly-chosen beer list alone – 42 specialty microbrews, plus a handful of terrific Belgian ales. But Jake’s also serves good food in a comfortable atmosphere with views not just of Puget Sound, but of Steilacoom’s neighborhood quaintness. Toss in live jazz on Saturday nights ($5 cover charge – and worth it for the level of musicianship).
Dungeness crab cakes ($20) are the most expensive entree on the menu and the most interesting preparation of the dish I’ve encountered. Chef Dave Garber combines scallop mousse (pureed scallops, heavy cream and egg whites) with lump crab meat. The lightly breaded cakes were so tender and meaty – like a filet of some sweet fish – that I doubted they contained any binder at all.
Beer makes its way into some food. Avery Czar Imperial Stout contains rich, chocolatey flavors and 11 percent alcohol. Used as a marinade on a 12-ounce rib-eye steak ($18), the beer deepened the sweetness of the beef and the alcohol tenderized the meat.
Minimally fatty prime rib ($14, 8 ounces; $18, 14 ounces; Fridays and Saturdays only) was graced with au jus made from Stone smoked porter, a wood-kissed beer that balanced the sweetness of the wild mushrooms in the sauce.
Boiled and grilled bratwurst ($6, served on a grilled baguette, with grain mustard and sauerkraut) bore the unmistakably sweet flavor of beer.
Sandwiches ($9-$10), salads ($9-$13) and pasta ($13-$17) round out the menu. I enjoyed both the creamy, garlicky Caesar ($9) and the seared scallop salad ($13), which featured eight tender and translucent bay scallops on a bed of mixed greens with fresh basil vinaigrette on the side.
I had trouble with side dishes: Polenta and pilaf were both stiff and under-flavored.
Service was friendly and efficient, even on packed-house nights, and the bartenders know their beer.
Jake’s has ample parking beneath the building, plus an elevator to help folks reach Jake’s second-floor perch. Hathcock said the deck, with sweeping views and plans for hop vines, should open in mid-May.
Rating: * * * *
TOP OF TACOMA
3529 McKinley Ave., Tacoma
253-272-1502
www.myspace.com/topoftacomabar
Hours: 2-11 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 2 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays, noon-9 p.m. Sundays.
Talk about your liquid lunches: tomato basil, potato-leek, baked potato. Those are all house-made soups that I enjoyed at Top of Tacoma, a bar that opened in October and began serving food in February.
The meat-and-cheese platter ($8.50) did not skimp on the better cuts of prosciutto, and the baguette was fresh. Deli slices of ham, turkey and salami, and cheddar, havarti and Swiss were plentiful, but I yearned for something like chutney or some fruit to round out the plate. Other appetizers include ubiquitous mozzarella-basil caprese salad and hummus platters.
Mac and cheese was homey, not gussied up. Three-cheese raviolis were the size of sand dollars, smothered in meaty red sauce. Both were served with garden or Caesar salad for 8 bucks.
Sandwiches rely too heavily on deli meats (turkey, ham, salami), but at $7.25 and served on good bread, they’re well-priced and filling.
The bar is old-school and neighborhood style. It’s also clean and comfortable, with friendly bartenders. Not too dark, no embedded smell of smoke in the walls. Amusements include a pool table and arcade games. There’s enough Johnny Cash and Northwest rock on the juke to make everyone feel at home.
Rating: * * *
TEMPEST LOUNGE
913 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma
253-272-4904
www.tempestlounge.com
Hours: 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays.
I raved about Tempest Lounge when I wrote about the Hilltop bar in April 2006. I’ve been back twice since then and still found things to rave about – particularly half a roasted chicken with garlicky spinach and fluffy potatoes ($14.14). I didn’t think Tempest’s tiny kitchen could cook such a large bird, which spilled over the sides of my plate and shone golden brown in the bar’s dim light. It was also tender and flavorful, with a light orange glaze.
Another delight was a meat-filled sandwich featuring chicken breast, prosciutto, salami, ham and provolone cheese ($11.42). Ordered on Wednesday night, honey-baked ham with a side of creamy and cheesy scalloped potatoes was as enjoyable as a Sunday dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs ($13.05) were delightfully meaty. The meat-and-cheese plate ($13.05), featuring prosciutto, salami, goat cheese and Spanish Manchego cheese with salted almonds and olives, was lively.
Tempest recently updated its menu, adding crab cakes, which had been a semi-regular special. Sometimes they’re traditionally prepared, sometimes Tempest adds lemon grass and basil. Tempest previously offered one entree per night. Now the set menu offers half a dozen entrees.
Service is pleasant and friendly, and the hip den offers cool amusements – from free pool to live music.
Housemade cookies, baked to order, are worth the 15-minute wait.
Rating: * * * *
Ed Murrieta: 253-597-8678
